DIGITIZATION LEADS TO NEW TRENDS IN VIDEO SURVEILLANCE

According to the UITP and industry expert Axis Communications implementation of CCTV in public transport has increased in recent years. As a result, the safety level in cities and more specifically for passengers and public transport companies has increased.

The two organizations conducted a survey among public transport companies to get a better picture of the latest trends in video surveillance in public transport. The UITP report shows that, compared to 2015, the number of public transport networks with only analogue cameras has dropped significantly (from 25% to 18%). This is mainly because upgrades and new installations are increasingly digital. In addition, 82 percent of companies have a digital component in their system.

Despite the fact that analogue cameras are still used in some parts of public transport, more and more cities are looking for safer and smarter solutions. In 2015, smart analytics, such as 'graffiti detection', were barely used (by less than 10% of the respondents). The number of smart cameras is therefore increasing rapidly. This means that investments will have to be made in more intelligent management systems such as facial recognition software. Compared to traditional CCTV systems, facial recognition allowed high quality images of the suspects to be made, enabling a faster and more efficient identification process.

The report concludes that public support for video surveillance has increased from 65 percent to 73 percent since 2015. Staff support remains stable at 78 percent.

UITP and Axis emphasizes that this joint research shows that both passengers and staff have a growing confidence in the added value of video surveillance technology in public transport. The positive impact on safety and security ensures a rapid innovation of video surveillance technology. The ability to support public transport companies with real-time technology, such as three years ago, in 2018 has become a reality.